V-Moda Crossfade M-100 Metal Over-Ear Headphones Review

It’s here! We’ve been waiting with bated breath for this one and it’s finally in my meat mitts. Sorry. I’m talking about V-Moda’s highly anticipated Crossfade M-100 Metal over-ear headphones. Don’t make the grave error of mistaking these for their older sibling, the V-Moda Crossfade LP2, which we reviewed last Summer. The M-100 are superior in not-so-obvious ways–from the CLIQFOLD folding hinge to the dual inputs with V-Cork seals. The M-100 headphones are the battle-hardened industrial warriors to the more docile LP2. They were built for performance and durability.

These are two features over which V-Moda does not tread lightly. In fact, this new version is said to be virtually indestructible. That sounds like a challenge to me. While I was only brave enough to drop them a couple of times, on the concrete from about 5ft, I did let my 9yr old play with them, which usually marks the demise of any breakable gadget. But the V-Moda M-100 survived. The company themselves confidently dropped this new set of cans to the concrete 70 times, but a max drop height was never listed. So they may not stand up to a 1000ft plummet from the clouds (though they might), but they are MIL-STD-810G certified. Even the included cables are Kevlar reinforced. Tough little buggers!

The M-100 Crossfade over-ear headphones are very sharp in appearance with stylish lines and that distinguished ebony color. They ship in a similar box as the older Lp2. They include the main headies, two separeate 3.5mm audio cables–one with inline mice and play controls, the other with a 2nd 3.5mm input for sharing your tunes, chrome replacement shields for adding a different flare to the outer ear pieces, 6.3mm stereo connector and a sturdy carrying case to port it all. The M-100 headphones can be folded down so the case is much smaller and more travel-friendly than the one included for Crossfade Lp2. The handy folding mechanics is made possible with V-Moda’s patent-pending CLIQFOLD folding hinge. With it, the earpiece quickly and easily folds up against the inner top of the nigh-indestructible headband.

Admirably, the resulting design and engineering is thanks to forum feedback and the company incorporating ideas from contributing consumers, journalists, musicians DJs and more. Much was considered in the way of speaker driver variance, ergonomics and balance across all ranges. I’m sure all that R&D didn’t come cheap. That and the premium construction materials explains the $300 price tag. But the level of performance in the audio quality and extended comfort is glorious.

The price tag will surely cause some to pause. I can’t speak on what $300 is worth to you. But I can say audio playback is second only to the Beats by Dre Mixr headphones. The M-100 uses the company’s own 50mm Dual-Diaphram drivers and are exceptionally well-balanced with super clear bass. Mid and high ranges are crystal clear and rivaled only by the Mixr set. But for the same cost, you get a set of headphones that comes very close to the richness in audio playback across all ranges, to the Mixr headphones. Yet the V-Moda M-100 are far superior in comfort and lasting construction. I found no comfort foibles after several hours of listening and the memory foam padding on the ears helps tremendously.

Editor Rating:

[Rating: 4/5]

Very Good

Bottom Line: The Crossfade M-100 Metal over-ear headphones are wonderful additions to your audio arsenal. The range balance, added punch and clarity of playback is at the upper echelon. Just have your song playing in your head when you pay that price. It helps!

Shawn Sanders

Shawn loves gadgets, literature, history and games. For 10yrs+ he's straddled both the comic book & video game industries, as a writer, editor, marketing officer & producer. Shawn got his start in tech & games as an editor & Hardware Director for GameRevolution.com. More notable accomplishments include Executive Producer on mobile games Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved & The Shroud.